16TH SUNDAY OF YEAR (C). JULY 21ST 2013
A. The Bible as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings)
B. Reflection & Dialogue: Listening to and living the mystery of Christ and the Church
A. The Bible as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings)
First Reading (Genesis 18:1-10).
Lord, do not pass your servant by. An important element in this reading is the ending, in which the Lord promises that within a year Abraham’s wife Sarah will have borne him a son and heir. The passage is chosen as today’s first reading to accompany the Gospel which narrates Jesus’ visit to Martha and Mary. Abraham was seated by the Oaks of Mamre. Mamre was an ancient sacred site, slightly north of Hebron, with sacred oak trees. Abraham had settled by these oaks (Genesis 13:18). We are first told that the Lord appeared to Abraham, and then that three men, presumably angels (Genesis 19:1), stood before him. The relation of these three to the Lord is not clear. All three may represent the Lord, as a single angel often does (Genesis 16:7). Only a single person is spoken of later in this passage (verses 10, 13). The plurality becomes a single person. The Lord may be one of three, the other two being his attendants. In any case, at the outset Abraham does not recognize the three men as divine beings. In a fine description of oriental courtesy Abraham bids them welcome, and prepared a good meal for them, which they ate. They have come at the heat of the day and are invited to rest, take a meal and a siesta, before continuing their journey. The response to Abraham’s generosity is not made by the three, but by the Lord himself, a response in the form of a posterity for Abraham. The Epistle to the Hebrews (13:1) uses the passage in an exhortation to show hospitality to strangers: some have entertained angels unawares.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 14[15]). The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Second Reading (Colossians 1:24-28).
A mystery hidden for centuries has now been revealed to God’s saints. Paul, here as often elsewhere, makes mention of his sufferings and tribulations which all knew were many. He says he rejoices in them because they are connected with Christ. The opening part of this reading presents difficulties, and is often translated in different ways. Sometimes this is taken to mean that Paul makes up in his body what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings or afflictions, or what is still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of the Church. There clearly is nothing lacking in Christ’s sufferings. What Christ suffered is a thing of the past. A number of understandings of the section may be summed up in what some regard as the true translation of the original Greek text: “I complete what is lacking in the sufferings-of-Christ-in-my-flesh”. There is no reference to Christ’s own sufferings. The sufferings in question are Paul’s. Paul’s sufferings are those of Christ because Paul is a member of the body of Christ. Divine grace is present in Paul’s sufferings as it was in those of Christ. Paul rejoices in his sufferings since in them, as in the sufferings of Christ, the divine plan of God, the mystery of salvation, continued to be revealed. When chosen as an apostle Paul became a minister of the Church, responsible for making God’s word fully known to the Church. This divine word is none other than the mystery hidden for generations but now made known to believers (“saints”)..This mystery was God’s saving plan as revealed in Christ and the Church. Jesus told his apostles that to them the secrets, the mysteries, of the kingdom of God had been revealed (Matthew 13:11). The eyes and ears of Jesus’ disciples were blessed because they saw and heard what many prophets, holy people and kings, desired to see and hear but did not (Matthew 13:16-17). This mystery is now revealed, not just to Jews but to pagans, to all, and it is none other than the glorious presence of Christ among believers and all the hope that this brings. This is true Christian wisdom, and it follows that all attention should be directed to Christ, to have each believer reach that perfection to which Christ calls them.
The Gospel (Luke 10:38-42).
Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. Mary has chosen the better part. This is a charming narrative on the hospitality offered to Jesus by Martha, sister of Mary. It should be read as part of the larger context on the narrative of Jesus’ journey from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, which is all about discipleship, the requirements for following Jesus. At the outset Jesus had spoken of the suffering in store for himself, and stressed that his followers would need to take up their own cross daily and follow him. At the Transfiguration the Father’s voice from heaven had declared Jesus as his beloved Son, adding; “Listen to him”. Jesus and his followers had experienced some problems on the way, not being made welcome in some villages or homes. It was the opposite with Martha and her warm welcome. She busied herself with the preparations for a meal, while Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to Jesus. We are not told what Jesus was speaking about, but we can presume it concerned the kingdom of God. Martha complained that Mary was not helping her, asking Jesus to tell he do so. Part of Jesus’ reply has appeared harsh to many, and has often been altered in texts and translations. What Jesus most probably said is that only one thing is necessary, and Mary has made the right and better choice. This saying is the highlight of the narrative. It has for a long time been taken to mean that Jesus was contrasting the contemplative life with the active, pronouncing the former higher and better. This is scarcely the message of the passage. Rather is Jesus highlighting the importance above all else of listening to, hearing, word of God, of the Gospel, Jesus’ word, which the Father stressed at the Transfiguration. Later Peter (Acts 6:2) will say that the Apostles should not give up preaching the word to serve at tables. Jesus’ words are not a condemnation of activity, of involvement in worldly affairs, but a reminder that in all activity (and quietness!) the primacy of listening to God’s word, the word of the Gospel, should not be forgotten.
B. Reflection & Dialogue: Listening to and living the mystery of Christ and the Church
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the dignity that is ours in living in the age of the fulfilment of the promises and the joy that this should bring, joy even in the sufferings that go with Christian living. Paul is happy, joyful, in his mission to preach the word of the Gospel the good news that the mystery has been revealed. Jesus rejoiced that the secrets, the mystery, hidden for past ages had been revealed by the Father through him, to the “little ones” rather than to the wise and understanding (Matthew 11:25-30). For this, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21-22), just as Paul later would. The mystery was God’s saving plan through Christ, which could be variously expressed. For the epistle to the Ephesians it was God’s plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:9-10). For Paul to the Colossians it was: “Christ is with you, the hope of glory”. With Christ in the Church there is the glory of God’s presence, and the hope that it brings for here and eternity.
The Church continues to use this term “mystery” and its riches of meaning to express her belief in her own nature and in the sacraments. The first chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church is headed: “The mystery of the Church”. As Pope Paul VI explained in his opening address at the second session of the Vatican Council (1961); “The Church is a mystery. It is a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God. It lies, therefore, within the very nature of the Church to be open to new and greater exploration.” The sacraments can be called mysteries, since the power of God is present in them, continuing the initial mystery of Christ and the foundation of the Church. St Ambrose composed discourses on sacraments which he described as “On the Mysteries.” The Eucharist is the mystery par excellence and in the Roman Missal (visible in particular in the revised English translation) mention is made of “these mysteries” in relation to it. The mystery of Christ is thus being continually proclaimed by word and sacrament. In the words of Christ addressed to Martha, “only one thing is needful”, attention to the word of God brought to us by Jesus, attention to this whether we are reflective like Mary, Martha’s sister, or busy like Martha herself.